Here's a photo from the bottom

do you know what the treads look like (or are you getting all new treads?) is the white baluster staying as is? (are they original to the house? if yes, have you tried to strip the paint?) I'm just thinking something more craftsman style would look better w/that runner.

you say carpet will continue to hall. so this same herringbone carpet throughtout the halls? can we see both floors w/the halls?

This is just a picky thing...the stair rails look Art Deco to me and not Craftsman. Maybe replaced at some point? Love herringbone, but maybe to gentleman's den with a leather sofa?

Look for a stripe which laid in this manner.

Hi Beth, thanks. I've pulled up carpet in places. The treads look like oak in the same finish as downstairs, though we may have to refinish them and do some trimwork. It's hard to know until the carpet is up. I plan to keep the white balusters, which are original. My neighbor has similar ones in dark wood, and while they do look good, I'd rather pick a different carpet than strip the paint.

I'm not sure the photo I posted is actually the right color. This looks more like the color I was considering

@elceig - that is a very vivid rug, but the stripe is an interesting idea.

Some of my neighbors' houses, also built around 1907 or 1908, have variations on the same balusters, so I do think they are original, though perhaps unusual outside my neighborhood.

WOW the railings are unusual I think I would do asolid color rug not pattern at allwith those turns ,or just the treads redone and no runner

I think the staircase says American Folk. I do like the runner you picked but if you THINK it will make you dizzy, then it might.

The pattern is pretty subtle in the lighter color and is quite lovely for your staircase. It’s also neutral enough to work with whatever is at both the bottom and top of the steps.

Were there any other runners you liked? Too much pattern will detract from the staircase, which is unusual and a showstopper.

The chosen carpet is a little blah for me, very ‘coastal’. With your beautiful arts and crafts staircase I would get something more lively. What do your other rugs look like? My house is full of Persian carpets so if I was adding a staircase it would have a similar runner for consistency.

My biggest suggestion is to keep the patterning understated. Practically speaking a bold pattern might be visually confusing and disorienting and could cause missteps and falls.

In general, I think there is often not a good way to turn directional patterns unless the landings are square and you can do a miter. Or if there is a turning step on the landing and you can turn it on that step like Beth's first picture. (Although I don't like triangular steps either.)

What Kendrah said.

And be very careful about patterns on stairs.

^^^ what stairs?

Wow @littlebug zone 5 Missouri, that is atrocious! I am looking for the opposite of that :)

Yikes, littlebug!😵‍💫

Lots of photos on Houzz. Search bar at top & middle of page. Type "stair runners" and then select "stair runners in Photos".

Just think carefully how any pattern will transition at the turns. Go over it with your carpet person and don't let them just do what they want or what is easier for them.

Keep in mind that you will need to buy a lot of extra carpet to accommodate the angles of your stairs with a patterned carpet. The one you have selected won't be too hard to match the pattern, but if you get something with more pattern, just keep that in mind. I agree that the carpet you chose does seem a bit "coastal" though it is very popular now. With all those stairs, I would be inclined to look for something with very little pattern on it.

I have Tuftex on my stairs and it constantly looks dirty (it's a dark trellis pattern on an oatmeal base). The saleslady told me how great it was at repelling stains - it is not. It is worse than any other stair carpet I have ever had. So I wouldn't suggest going too light (and definitely not white). Look for something in the color of dirt. We have to clean the carpet twice a month in addition to regular vacuuming.

For what its worth, I recently went through the same dilemma. I spent hours going back and forth between the idea of a runner over wood and carpet completely covering the stairs. I ended up having the stairs recarpeted and looking back, I am really glad that I did.

The amount of time and money that would have been spent to get the treads looking good, just to carpet over 80-90% of them seemed silly. Also cleaning would have been more difficult, essentially you’re vacuuming just as much carpet and then you have the gaps where the carpet meets the wood where things will collect. You have to worry about the carpet wearing at the edges of the runner and the runner being pulled up.

I went with the anderson tuftex wayfarer in the “calm” color, and think it looks great.

My .02, spend the money on something you will get more satisfaction from and doesn’t add to your weekly cleaning tasks.